Tristian Yates ’28, contacted The Dickinsonian, he had had “a strange experience” and was “unsure what to do about it.” He said, “It felt important, like the world needed to see it. But especially everyone on campus.”
Yates had been “working on a homework assignment” when he opened his eyes to find several hours had passed. He was surrounded by “crumpled paper everywhere” and an image, pictured above, that he did not remember drawing.
“It felt like something was speaking through me,” he said. “All I know is that this is a message not to be ignored.”
The drawing depicts John E. Jones III, the current president of Dickinson College, with images of Dickinson, his past and secret lives obscuring parts of his face. A red devil horn covers part of his forehead and the ear of a squirrel on the other side. His left eye is covered by the Green Devil, known on campus for its relationship to the Center for Sustainability Education.
Below the Green Devil iconography is what is assumed to be the outfit John E. wore during his time as a federal judge. His right cheek is obscured by what investigation has revealed to be a version of the Dickinson Devil themed around Lucky Streak, a popular, cheap beer on campus. On his chest is a Dickinson sports jersey with the number “666.”
In the Christian Bible, the number “666” is often connected with the Book of Revelation and associated with the Antichrist.
“No, I am not calling President Jones the Antichrist” Yates said, “I can’t make it any clearer. This wasn’t me. It was. But it wasn’t.”
It is unclear if this drawing is meant to be a warning from a sympathetic god, trying to save the college from destruction. Or simply a sign that Jones is deeply connected with the school.
“Nothing about the image is certain,” said Professor of Classical Studies, Scott Farrington, who came out of sabbatical to comment on the image. “It is… intense, but not necessarily bad.”
Upon further scrutiny, the background of the picture is the Holland Union Building burning. “I don’t know why it’s burning; I don’t remember drawing this,” Yates said.
Jones himself has refused to comment, but Yates’ FAS profile now lists him as “Prophet of the President.”
